Steam-boiler.



1. 5. LEWIS.-

S TEA|VI BOILER.' APPLICATION FILED APR.24. 191?.

,1919. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J". E. LEWIS.

SEAM BOILER. APPLICATION man APn.2i.19r1.

Patented Marr. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JOHN ERNEST LEWIS, or PASADENA, cnnrronnrn.

STEAM-Bonne.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Application filed Apri124, 1917. Serial N o. 164,096.

T0 all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN ERNEST LEWIS,

Va citizen of the United States of America,

Vwith portable steam plants, especially ,for

quick response in intermittent use.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of an embodiment of the invention in a motor vehicle propulsion stealn plant;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the boiler or generator of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, from the right of Fig. 2, with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale of the liquid level maintenance device for the generator;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view looking down on the spark control for igniting the furnace or burner;

Fig.l 6 isa fragmentary plan view of the Y steam portion of the generator, parts being broken away; FFig. 7 is a section on the line VII- V11 1g. 6' Y Fig.8 is a section `on the line VIII-VIII F i0'. 9 is a section on an enlarged scale on the line IX--IX Fig. 7; and

VFig. 10 is a section-0n an enlarged scale of the manifolds adjacent the header. Y

The motor vehicle 1 has disposed under the hood 2 the generator. having the refractory heat insulation housing having the base .section 3, the forward upper housing section 4, the reverse bridge-wall 5 and the rear top housing section 6.

The water or liquid supply may be cared for by the steam pump 7 connected by the line 8 through the heat resisting housing with the reserve liquid chamber 9 having a plurality of liquid flow tubes 10 leading 'Y downward therefrom, and then forwardly as the manifold sections 11, in parallel series resting on the housing seats 12, 13. To provide increased heat exchange surface, it is Y preferred to have rise from the manifolds 11, smaller cross section riser tubes 14 ter-v minating in the parallel upper horizontal manifolds 15 extending forwardly into the transverse header 16. The main steam line 17 may extend therefrom out `through the heat resisting duct 18 of the generator housing having the branch Y19 for controllably actuating the pump 7. This duct 18 as a jacket for the steam main 17 may extend to the vehicle propelling motor 20 mounted adjacent the rear axle of the automobile 1. Exhaust Vfrom this motor 2O may be conducted by the line 21. The radiator 22 may serve as a condenser .for exhaust. From the condensed liquid containing supplyv tanks 23, the feed water may pass by the line 211 to the pump 7.

The feed water line 8 to the boiler from the pump 7 has therein the check valve 25 opening toward the boiler or generator, precluding pressure from the boiler creating any back flow toward the pump 7. This line 8 also has therein the needle'valve 26 carried by the sliding yoke 27 actuable by the heat expanded tube28 connected by the Yduct 29 to the chamber 9 at the region of va or suchhifrher tem erature substance entering the tube 28 and retaining such temperature to a much greater degree than the liquid, especially due to latent heat therein, expands the tube 28, causing the needle valve 26 to seat and close the by-pass line 30, normally returning the water from the pump 7 Yto the reserve or supply tank 23. VWith this by-pass closed, the continuously acting pump 7 forces liquid into the line 8, past the check `valve 25 Vinto the reserve chamber 9 to raise the liquid level therein. This feeding of liquid to the boiler continues until the liquid level is raised in the chamber 9 to fill the duct 29 and tube 28. Contraction of the tube 28 then opens the by-pass line 30, in order that the continued action of the pump may not still supply the boiler. Y

Disposed in the chamber 9 isthe float 31 carried by the arm'32 on rock shaft 33 having on its portion protruding from the hous- `ing the arm 34 movable acrossthe scale 35,

of the generator by the lugs 36 to preclude "due to heating in the furnace to rock the' excessive local heating to deterioration action in the generator is the heat conducting hood 37 disposed over the manifolds 15 and header 17 as a shield for the generator against the direct action of the burner or furnace discharge heat source 38. This burner 38 is disposed for providing the' initial heat intensificationA region adjacent the water level region about the great relative heat conducting area ofthe tubes 14. The upper portions of these tubes 14, above the water line, and the manifolds 15 with the communicating header 16 serve as a vaporizing or steam dome for superheating or drying the vapor, due to the heat conducting Vaction of the hood 37. This localizing of the intense heat for practically surface escape to vaporization is a direct asl'iing of the liquid to steam without introducing any dampening or retarding by convection due to gas bubble travel through any overlying liquid region. This means practically instantaneous steaming response.

'The housing about the boiler provides a passage for the boiler enveloping heat flow downward from the burner 38 in a direction opposing the liquid` flow. This heat flow passes under the bridgewall 5, about the down flow tubes 10, and rises to pass the reserve chamber 9, that there may be prelieating. As a heat retaining jacket, the burner fumes envelop the main 17 in its extent to the inotor 20, and for heat economy are used to jacket the cylinders of theV motor 20.

Further use is made of this furnace exhaust by having the fan 39 air blast duct 40 in such duct 18. Adjacent the venturi restriction 41 inthe duct 40 is the fuel supply yduct 42 which may have a float chamber liquid maintained level in the vessel 43. The attened discharge of the burner 38 is proportioned tothe lateral extent of the paralle] manifolds 15. Y

' Throttle lever 44 adjacent the steering wheel 45 may control the supply of steam to the motor 20 by the line 17. 'When the power consumption falls below tliecapacity of the generator or boiler, there may be automatic control for limiting the boiler generation rate, as by rise in pressure acting upon the diaphragm control device 46 for opening Y the switch v47 and stopping the blast fan driving motor 48, as actuated from the generator or storage battery for vehicle night lighting.

Connected to be actuated from an arm adjacent the throttle lever 44 is the switch 49 f or the spark plug V50 disposed Vin a vcentral region for insuring fuel ignitionY in the vapor` ej ectment region.

YDisposed forwardly in this furnace lor burner heat region is the expansion Vbar or tube 51 having the fixed mounting'52 and the movable end 53 operating in bar expansion volume of water, giving a vstability for riar- Y i'owrange of water level fluctuation i'i'i'jthe' tubes 14. Further the general disposalfof the feed water may intermittently readily respond with a considerable safety 'leeway All the ow is against' the lieattravel. The

duct 56 between a central manifold-1SandVl the chamber 9 is'mer'ely for pressure equalization and supplying vapor'for the auto- Vmatic by-pass. There'i's accordinglyprovision precluding any'circuit for liquidflow 4in y the generator. All liquid flow is progressive i and in a direction opposite tothe enveloping heat flow.

Vliat isclaimed itis desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Av vapor generator embodying' a hou'si ing providing afirst chamber' and'asecond chamber, a boiler having a preheater in the first chamber and afvaporizer in'the'snecond chamber, and a heated'gas supplyadjacentV Y the top of the second 'chamber' for"actingvr upon the upper portion of the vaporizer, said first Vchamberhavinga'heated gas outlet adjacentits t0p","-and adjacent its bottom communication with the bottom of 'thefsec1 ioo ond 'chamber,"'said preheater 'including a Y reserve reservoir in the first chamber disposed at a height near the top of thesecond chamber, ducts leading downward-lyY from the reservoir andinto 'said second chamber, said vaporizer having vrtop v nianifoldsff and riser Vducts extending from' -tlie'jpreheater ducts tosaid top [manifolds "j,

2. Afvapo'r generatorenibodying aihous- Y Y ing providing a chambenaboiler" located vtherein havingpairs of upper and lower* manifolds, a series of -riser vducts between each pair of manifolds,means?providing' heated gas supply adjacentthe'vupper manifolds," and a shield mounted ronf the upper manifoldsl and Vextending Vdownwardly there over to protects'aid-upper manifoldsgfrom` Vthe direct action foff thejgassupp'ly means,

said housing having an outlet near the'bottom thereof to take off the pliedatthetopf j Y y,

3.11 vapor generator embodyingafhousing providing abchamber, a boiler ylocateijll in said chamber, `said boiler including vv'ap'lurality of parallel series of.. riser duct's,'-`and manifolds to Vwhich said ducts. deliver, means providing "a heated gas supply totheV 'upper .'heatedgas sup;` l

said second chamber having therein a plu-V rality of lower manifolds, riser ducts from said manifolds, and upper manifolds to which the risers extend, and a preheating reservoir in said first chamber having a plurality of ducts extending to the lower manifolds, said reservoir being further provided with a duct communicating with an upper manifold, and a burner providing heated gas supply in the upper portion of the second chamber to travel downwardly therefrom about the riser ducts in the second chamber through the communication passage and thence to pass upwardly in the first chamber about the reservoir.

5. A vapor generator embodying aV reserve reservoir, downwardly extending ducts therefrom terminating in parallel lateral olfsets providing lower manifolds, riser ducts in parallel series from said manifolds, upper manifolds to which the riser ducts extend, a header to which the upper manifolds conneet, said upper manifolds and header forming a vapor region, a duct providing direct communication between said vapor region and the reserve reservoir independently of the lower manifolds, and a housing providt ing a first chamber for the reservoir and downwardly extending ducts, and a second chamber for the upper and lower manifolds, riser ducts and header.

6. A vapor generator embodying a housing, a partition'in said housing providing a first chamber and a second chamber communicating with each other below said partition, a reserve liquid reservoir in the rst chamber, a plurality of ducts extending from said reservoir downwardly in the first chamber over into the second chamber, and riser ducts leading from the extensions of said downwardly extending ducts and in the second chamber, manifolds to which said risers extend, and a header connecting said manifolds in the upper portion of the second chamber, a refractory shield over said mani-V folds, and a burner for supplying heated gases to the second chamber adjacent said shield, the second chamber providing a passage downward for these heated gases about the riser tubes, thence into the first chamber and upward about the reservoir in a direction counter to the direction of liquid flow from the reservoir.

In witness whereof I aliix my signature.

JOHN ERNEST Lewis.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

